WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, March 9, 2017.

China, Russia welcome Trump-Kim meeting

The proposed meeting between the US president and the North Korean leader has drawn welcoming reactions from the international community. Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, says the possible meeting between the two leaders is “a step in the right direction”. Lavrov has stressed that the meeting should open up ways to resuming the diplomatic process to find a solution to the North Korean nuclear issue. The EU also welcomed the move as a positive development, saying the block looks forward to the outcome of the talks. South Korea called the announcement a historic milestone that will put the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula on track. Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, hailed the move and said the development is the result of cooperation between Tokyo, Washington, and Seoul to maintain pressure on Pyongyang. China also welcomed what it called positive signals from Washington and Pyongyang.

Fight against terror

The Syrian army is pressing ahead with an all-out offensive to dislodge militant groups from the eastern fringes of the capital Damascus. Sporadic gunfire can be heard as government troops are leaving no stones unturned to secure more villages and areas in Eastern Ghouta. The developments come as Syrian forces managed to recapture half of the region. Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross says an aid convoy has entered Eastern Ghouta. The humanitarian convoy includes truckloads of health and nutrition supplies for people besieged in the militant-held flashpoint countryside of the capital Damascus. Eastern Ghouta has witnessed deadly violence over the past few weeks.

Kabul bomb attack

Another bloody day for the Afghan capital Kabul; at least seven people have been killed in a bomb attack in the west of the city. A bomber detonated his explosives outside the venue of a ceremony held to commemorate a slain political leader of the minority Shia Hazara community. The victims include six civilians and a security guard. More than 20 others were injured. No group has claimed responsibility for the raid, but it bears the hallmarks of the Daesh terrorist group that has recently launched similar attacks against civilians. Scores of people were killed in a string of attacks on Shia mosques and Hazara gatherings in recent months.

‘Drag Myanmar before ICC’

The top UN human rights official has called for the referral of Myanmar to the International Court of Justice over the country’s deadly crackdown on Rohingya Muslims. Zeid also accused Myanmar’s officials of making serial denials of serious violations against the Rohingya. His comments came a day after the country’s National Security Advisor requested “clear evidence” to support accusations of ethnic cleansing or genocide against the minority group. The UN official said if Myanmar really wants the allegations to be disapproved, it has to allow UN rights investigators into Rakhine State. Myanmar has repeatedly blocked UN’s special rapporteurs from entering the country. Since last August, an estimated 700,000 Muslims have fled what the UN human rights commissioner calls a textbook example of ethnic cleansing in Myanmar.

Russian reaction

Russia’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov has rejected allegations that Moscow was behind a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in the UK. Lavrov however said Russia is ready to help find those behind the poisoning. British counterterrorism detectives have asked the UK army for help to remove a number of vehicles and objects from the scene of the incident which took place in the city of Salisbury. Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter, Yulia, 33 were found unconscious on a bench in Salisbury on Sunday. They are in critical but stable condition now. A police officer who came to their aid is also in critical condition. The British police counterterrorism unit is investigating the case. Officials have so far refused to speculate about who might have been behind the attack.

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